NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers net minder Garin Bjorklund balances a puck in pre-game warmup ahead of the Tigers 5-3 loss to the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Jan. 15.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
“We’re a family and we want to take care of everyone. Hockey is important but the person is number one.”
Medicine Hat Tigers associate coach Joe Frazer said it’s one of the main things they stress within the team.
Wednesday was Bell’s 12th annual, ‘Let’s Talk Day,’ aimed at breaking the silence around mental illness and supporting mental health across Canada.
Frazer said he thinks the day is important, as mental health is crucial because no matter what someone does, if they’re struggling they can’t perform to their best.
“I think if you’re in business or hockey or a doctor, if mentally you’re struggling you can’t perform at your best,” Frazer said. “I think it’s extremely important that we keep bringing awareness to it and that everyone is going through something… The more awareness we bring to it, the more open we are, the more willing we are to talk about it. It’s just going to help society as a whole.”
Bell donates five cents for every call or text message by a Bell customer, #BellLetsTalk hashtag used on Twitter and TikTok, or view of the Bell Let’s Talk Day video on social media. Last year, Bell donated roughly $7.96 million towards mental health initiatives in Canada from the campaign.
Breanne Mellen, suicide prevention program coordinator for Canadian Mental Health Association SE Alberta said she thinks the day is good for bringing awareness, but wishes it was an all-year conversation.
“I think it’ a good day for bringing awareness and bringing things to the forefront that we don’t always talk about as often as we really should,” Mellen said. “I know that it does have its detractors but I think it does help get the conversation going, I just wish it got it going for a little bit longer.
“This is one day of a year and there are a lot more days. We need to be talking about this every day.”
Mellen has been a part of the WHL’s and AJHL’s ‘Talk Today’ campaign that raises awareness of mental health using a sports angle. She also spoke to the Medicine Hat Cubs at this season’s training camp about mental health and knowing when to ask for help.
She said she is a big advocate for self care and finding balance in daily life, whether it’s more sleep or getting outside and freeing the mind. She also said it’s really heartening how many individuals within hockey have embraced mental health and moved mental wellbeing to the forefront.
“It’s heartening to see the conversations happening. Where before we used to kind of hide a little bit, now we are being more open and we are paying more attention to those things in our lives as well as those around us,” Mellen said.
Frazer said the Tigers had a talk with their “team psych” Bob Wilke about attitude and said the group has been impressive in terms of how they’ve handled this season with COVID-19 and not a lot of winning.
“This group’s been really impressive, how positive we’ve been able to stay through this, it’s obviously been hard with the results,”Frazer said. “But if you can just keep focusing on the process and getting better every day, it takes that stress away a little bit. You just wake up every day wanting to get better and then you just trust that process that if you put the work in the results will come and I think this group has been outstanding with supporting one another and just staying positive with each other.”
Frazer said when he needs to get his mind off the rink he talks with friends and family, including his four and five year old niece and nephew as a reminder that, “life’s not too serious.”
When asked if he helps players in his role as a coach and former WHLer deal with the stress, Frazer said that’s part of the coach-player relationship.
“I think coaching nowadays is a lot about relationships, having gone through it as a player, you play your best when you’re having fun and enjoying it,” Frazer said. “You have to push the guys to be the best, but you also have to be there to listen and to talk to them.”
He said the biggest thing as a player and a coach when it comes to making sure stress doesn’t overcome anyone is remembering how lucky they are every day.
“Gotta be grateful for the opportunity that we have, come to the rink whether it’s playing or coaching the game we love and grew up with, I think when you’re having a tougher day its just remembering how lucky and fortunate we are and just being grateful for the opportunity we have,” Frazer said.
